Michael Stewart is baffled why Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos has got a ban for the lesser of his offences this season.
He thinks that the decision to send the Gers star off against Aberdeen on Wednesday was the right one by the referee, but says the decision to reject his appeal after the game was the wrong one and shows the errors the Judicial Panel have made this term.
Stewart adds that the 23-year-old kicking out at Scott McKenna in midweek was not as bad as the other offences he has committed this season, such as the time when he put his boot out at Celtic’s Scott Brown in December.
“How else can you explain Alfredo Morelos finally being punished for the LEAST of his main offences this season? First things first. Bobby Madden’s decision to send him off against Aberdeen on Wednesday was the right one,” he said in his Scottish Sun column.
“But by rejecting his appeal the Judicial Panel have just highlighted how wrong they were earlier this season.
“Had Morelos’ first red for kicking out at Scott McKenna in August not been rescinded we wouldn’t even have got to this stage. I thought it was a ridiculous call at the time and I have seen nothing to change my mind since. And here’s the thing, it was a heck of a lot worse than anything the Rangers striker did the other night.
“So was Morelos’ boot out at Scott Brown in December which, remember, went completely unpunished. And as much as they will try and tell you that every incident is looked at in isolation that’s just GARBAGE.”
OPINION
It is understandable why Stewart is puzzled at this decision on Morelos. He is right – he has done far worse this season, and for some reason, the Panel have decided to ban him for an offence which was definitely not the worst we have seen from him this season. Stewart pointed out the incident on Brown in December, and like he highlighted, this went unpunished – even though it should have been. It shows how many times the Judicial Panel have got it wrong this season in regards to Morelos, and this simply is not good enough. That is not to say that he should not have been sent off for the challenge on McKenna – that decision was right – it is just puzzling why the Panel made the decision that they did. It shows that this part of the game is becoming inconsistent in Scottish football, especially if worse incidents have gone unpunished.